


The Parents

by yourpotato



Series: Wheelchair AU [2]
Category: Twenty One Pilots
Genre: M/M, tyler is in a wheelchair
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-01
Updated: 2017-02-01
Packaged: 2018-09-21 07:20:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,257
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9537668
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yourpotato/pseuds/yourpotato
Summary: Tyler's parents love Josh.





	

Tyler’s parents love Josh. After the initial awkwardness between Mr Joseph and his son’s boyfriend, the two got along brilliantly, despite the father’s protective nature. Kelly has liked Josh since day one.

“Hey, Josh!” Chris grins as he opens the door. The young boy smiles in return and enters the house. He pats him on the shoulder. “Tyler’s in his room.”

“Thanks, Mr Joseph,” Josh nods politely and walks the familiar route towards the bedroom.

“Leave the door open, yeah?” The man calls after him. “No funny business.”

The boy glances over his shoulder with alarmed eyes. He nods curtly and enters the room, leaving a small crack in the door.

Mr Joseph chuckles.

Tyler is sat at his desk, headphones on and music blaring. He’s scribbling on a piece of paper.

“Hey, babe,” Josh speaks up and drops his bag next to the closet. He smiles fondly as he realizes the brunette can’t hear him. He shuffles over and leans down to slide the headphones off, leaving them hanging around his neck. “Hey.”

Tyler looks over his shoulder in confusion. His nose bumps into Josh’s, and he lets out a giggle.

"Hi,” he smiles and leans forward the final couple of inches to press their lips together. He cups the elder’s face and shifts his chair slightly. “Sit,” he murmurs into the kiss.

“The door’s open,” Josh pulls back a little.

Tyler glances at the tiny crack. “Barely.”

The redhead shrugs in response before sitting himself down sideways in Tyler’s lap, resuming the kiss. Gentle hands snake around his waist, making his heart flutter. The younger tilts his head, deepening the kiss. Tongues meet as Josh reaches up to caress Tyler’s jaw lovingly. Making out has become one of their favorite pastimes. 

There are two knocks on the door. “No funny business, boys.”

Josh slides off his boyfriend in one swift movement and stares at the door, seeing Mr Joseph’s receding figure.

“Dad! Privacy!” Tyler complains and feels his cheeks flush. 

“More talking, less silence please,” the father requests, his amused voice growing more distant as he disappears into the living room.

Josh’s parents have yet to meet Tyler. They’ve been together for two months now, and his mother is becoming impatient. 

“Invite him over for dinner on Saturday,” she says as her son helps her with the dishes. 

“I don’t know…” Josh mumbles and scrubs another plate clean.

“Is there something wrong with him? Since you’re so persistent to keep him away from us?”

“Nothing’s wrong with him, mom,” he defends and hands off the plate for her to dry. He drains the sink in silence, feeling his mother’s eyes on him. 

“Well, invite him over then.”

“Fine,” he sighs in defeat.

Josh always prefers being at the younger’s house. Josh can drive there with his car, it’s much easier for Tyler to get around, and Chris and Kelly are always happy to see him. 

When his boyfriend agrees to dinner with the Duns, they have to go through so much effort to make it happen. Tyler’s parents aren’t available to drive their son that evening. This means Josh has to go to the boy’s house with his own car, then get Tyler into his family's van with a wheelchair ramp. Later he’ll have to drive the brunette home and take his car back to his house.

It was a lot of trouble for just dinner. Josh never complains though, because he knows what he signed up for when they got together. He is so lucky to have Tyler, and he doesn’t take a second for granted.

They pull up outside Josh’s house, and he can see his parent’s peaking out through the window, probably wondering why he is in a car they’ve never seen before. This only adds up to them asking why Tyler couldn’t just drive himself. 

“You ready?” Josh questions and looks over at his boyfriend. He is dressed handsomely in a nice button up shirt with short sleeves that show off his nice arms. His hair is neatly groomed and he’s wearing a nervous smile.

“I guess,” he nods and reaches to unbuckle his seatbelt. Josh does the same and exits the car, jogging over to Tyler’s side. He opens the back and fixes the ramp with practiced ease.

“You need any help?” he watches the brunette with worried eyes as he rolls over the vehicle floor and down the ramp. 

“Do I ever?” He smirks at Josh.

The elder chuckles and hurries to close the car door. He takes a deep breath as he grabs onto the handles of Tyler’s chair and walks them up the driveway. “You look really handsome tonight,” he murmurs.

“Thanks,” Tyler replies quietly and fiddles with his hands. Josh can’t see, but he’s probably blushing. 

They stop at the door, and Josh hears footsteps approach from inside. He sees his chance to come clean.

“By the way, I didn’t tell them you’re in a chair,” he says quickly.

“You what?” Tyler stares at him in disbelief, but before he can say anything else, the door swings open to reveal Josh’s mother.

“Hello!” She greets with a confused looking smile, glancing between her son and his boyfriend. “I’m Laura.”

“Tyler,” he nods and swallows down his nerves. 

“Come in, you two.”

Laura moves out of the way, and Josh carefully pushes Tyler across the threshold and into the warm house. It’s cramped, but they manage to get to the dining room. 

A big golden retriever greets them there, tail wagging and tongue slobbering. He stands on his hind legs and puts his paws into Tyler’s lap, excited to meet a new friend. The brunette stares wide eyed at the animal, shrinking back in fear.

“No, Baymax,” Josh scolds and gently shoves the dog down, telling him to sit. He squats down in front of his boyfriend. “You okay?”

“Yeah- I just…” he exhales and shakes his head slightly. “I’m scared of dogs.”

“He’s harmless, I promise,” the elder smiles softly and scratches behind the retriever’s ear. “But it’s okay. Mom can take him to my room.”

“Thanks,” Tyler nods and bites his lip as he sees Laura instructing the dog to follow her, which he obediently does. 

Mr Dun enters the room, studying the two boys. Josh stands, nodding a hello and then gestures to the younger. “This is Tyler,” he introduces. “My boyfriend.”

“Nice to meet you, Tyler,” He extends an arm. The boy shakes the hand with his gloved one, keeping his grip firm like his dad had advised him. 

“You too, Mr Dun,” he smiles politely as he attempts to keep cool. Now he knows how Josh felt when he met his family.

The four of them settle down around the table, after Josh removes one of the chairs so Tyler can have some space. It’s awkward. The adults are ignoring the unexpected elephant in the room.

“How did you two meet?” Laura wonders.

Josh glances at the younger. “Uh, at the school library,” he tells. “I helped him find a book he wanted.”

“I couldn’t reach it,” Tyler clarifies, feeling the need for them to ask about the chair. Just to get it out of the way.

“So what happened to you?” Mr Dun asks bluntly.

“Dad!”

“It was a car accident,” the brunette informs and bites his lip in thought. “When I was eight.”

“I’m so sorry,” Laura stares at him, pity in her eyes. 

“It’s okay. I’m okay,” Tyler replies and smiles as he feels Josh take his hand under the table. “I’m lucky to be alive.”

“You’ve got a good attitude, kid,” Chris comments. “I like it.”

They still don’t hang out at Josh’s house that often after that. The paths are too cramped for the wheelchair and too much effort is needed. Besides, Josh’s bedroom is upstairs, and they’d prefer some privacy.

So they’re at Tyler’s, cuddling on the couch as they half-watch Modern Family. 'Half-watch' meaning they’re whispering back and forth and sharing sweet kisses every two minutes. 

“No funny business.”

The two pull back from their innocent lip lock, blushing as they see Tyler’s father in the doorway with a smirk on his face. That sentence has become his catchphrase.

The man takes a few steps into the room, glancing at the TV and then the eldest boy. He gestures to Josh’s hoodie and sits down in the recliner. “You play baseball?”

Josh looks down at the team logo. “Uh, yeah.”

“Any good?”

“I’m okay, I guess,” he bites his lip bashfully.

“Don’t sell yourself short,” Tyler hits his chest gently before turning to his dad. “He’s co-captain.”

“Really?” Chris smiles excitedly. “I was captain of my baseball team when I was in high school.”

“That’s awesome,” Josh raises his brows and leans forward slightly.

“Maybe you wanna go practice batting with me sometime?” he wonders. “Down at the baseball park.”

“I don’t think Josh wants to hang out with you, dad,” Tyler jokes dryly. 

“Actually... I’d like that,” the redhead replies. He feels his boyfriend’s eyes on him. “I could use some advice before the big game.”

“You’re playing soon?”

“Yeah, on the 16th.”

Chris stands up. “Get me a ticket, will ya?” he requests and pats his shoulder as he walks past them. 

Josh nods in agreement and makes himself comfortable again, snuggling close to the younger boy. 

“Your dad digs me,” he chuckles happily and reaches over to intertwine their fingers. Tyler hums in response, keeping his gaze on the telly. “Hey,” Josh pouts and uses his free hand to grab the brunette’s chin gently and turning his head. “Somethin’ wrong?”

“I’m tired.”

“D’you want me to leave?” 

“I- Yeah.”

Josh bites his lip and sits up. He wishes he could stay with Tyler. Sleep over. But they’re not allowed. He offers to help his boyfriend into his wheelchair, but he only shakes his head, mumbling something about his mother.

“Okay,” Josh sighs softly. “I’ll see you at school.”

“Bye,” Tyler breathes and offers a small smile. It looks off. 

The elder leans down for a soft kiss on the lips before leaving. As he drives home, he tries to figure out why his boyfriend didn’t kiss him back. He can’t think of a reason. He doesn’t sleep well that night.

Josh excuses himself during the first lesson of the next day. He needs to talk to Tyler or else he won’t be able to concentrate. He doesn’t know what he has done wrong. Brendon gives him a weird look as he rushes out of the classroom, but he ignores it. He jogs through the empty halls, heading for the Spanish room.

He reaches up to his messy hair and smoothens over it a couple of times, before nervously knocking on the door. 

It swings open, a grumpy looking Mrs Cooper staring him down. “Can I help you?”

“Y-Yes, may I have a word with Tyler?”

“You may not,” she states and goes to close the door.

“Wait,” he places his foot between the door and the wall, preventing it from closing. He sees Tyler sitting at a desk in the front row, looking at him in confusion. He bites his lip. “His… His dog is in the hospital,” he lies to her. “I think he should know.”

She eyes him for a moment before humming in confirmation. She turns to the class again. “Joseph. Someone wants to talk to you,” she informs and tilts her head towards the exit.

“What is so important that you had to pull me out of class?” Tyler wonders as soon as the door closes behind him. 

Josh sighs softly and squats down so he can have a closer look at the boy. “I just- I feel like something’s off.”

“Off?”

“Between us.”

“Well, maybe I’m not in love with the fact that you and my dad are gonna be baseball buddies now,” Tyler mumbles and avoids Josh’s gaze.

“What?” he frowns. “You don’t want your dad and I to get along?”

“Of course I do, Josh,” the brunette replies sharply and backs up a little, making Josh stand up again.

“Then what’s your problem?” 

“My problem is that you’re basically the son my dad never had!” Tyler snaps, eyebrows furrowing. “It kinda hurts that he always wanted me to play baseball, but I can’t, so he asks you. Athletic Josh Dun with functioning fucking legs.”

“You- You can come with if you want,” Josh stutters, bewildered at the boy’s outbreak. 

“No.”

“What do you want then?”

“I don’t want you to go,” he admits quietly.

Josh’s heart breaks at his boyfriend’s insecure voice. “Okay,” he agrees easily and squats down again, taking a gloved hand into his own. “I won’t.”

Tyler is quiet for a long while, breathing in and out slowly. “I’m selfish,” falls off his lips.

“Baby, no,” the elder shakes his head and kisses the tip of his fingers. 

“I just wish I could do more things with him, y’know? Like sports and stuff.”

Josh’s lips curl up a little. “You hate sports,” he points out.

Tyler chuckles. “That’s true,” he concedes.

“How about you, me and our dads go out and do something together instead? Four boys having some fun.”

“That sounds like the title of a porno.”

“God, ew,” Josh winces.

The brunette barks out a laugh. “Sorry,” he scrunches up his nose. “But yeah, I’d like that.”

“Sick.”

“Maybe two boys can have some fun after,” Tyler smirks.

“Dude. My dad’s straight,” Josh shoots back, grinning as his boyfriend facepalms.

**Author's Note:**

> i apologize if there were any errors. i read it over a bunch of times, but i'm also really sleepy lol. 
> 
> thanks for reading :^) ily


End file.
